Question Light tec reg : Tecline R4/Tec2 Vs Tecline R5/Tec Vs Apeks XL4+ ?

[Piotr_F]

Hi, I am in the market for a set of regulators for light technical application. My budget is quite tight, but the Tecline R4 and R5 with Tec 2 second sage seems to be at a reasonable price point for me. However, I’m not sure which one to pick. Both of them seem to work great in cold water, but the R5 seems to be marketed as being even better for cold water. I don’t really see how this is the case technically, and I don’t know if choosing the R5 over the R4 is better in terms of durability or performance.

There would also be the Apeks XL4+ that seems pretty nice and I can find them for the price of the R5/Tec2 set however they are less advertised as technical regulator. I am concerned about the serviceability of the Tecline Reg worldwide and choosing to go for apeks could solve this issue. I also like the small form factor (for travel or deco tanks) even tho they look a bit less tough. They also are overcompensated but is that really that important (the advertised breathing effort are quite similar) ?

About the intended use, I’m a French diver who regularly dives in cold water (5°C / 40°F) and up to 60 m (200 ft). I’m considering learning to go deeper in the future and use them in a professional context (scientific diver). I do 45+ dives per year. So far, I’ve tried the Tecline R4, some Apeks XTX series, the latest Aqualung Helix Pro, and the Scubapro MK11 and MK17. I’ve been pleased with all of them, but I think the Apeks, Aqualung, and Tecline models stood out as the best.

Would you advise me to choose one of the above set ? Or do you have in feedback on those regulators in similar use ?

If you have any advice on other regulators to look into, feel free to share! (Keep in mind that some brands are not available in France.)

Thanks a lot !

 

[AbyssTek]

Hello neighbor, we are in the Basque Country, in the north of Spain. We've had a lot of post-sale issues with Tecline, like oxidation on the backplates of the wings, the chrome on the regulators peeling off... not happy at all.
I recommend the Apeks DS4, which performs identically to the one you're suggesting. You won’t have any performance issues, and even though the routing isn’t perfect, it’s a classic in technical diving.

 

[Piotr_F]

Sorry to learn about that, hopping it won't happen to me as I ended up buying an R5 TEC2 set. On which specific backplate did you get problem with ? Any problem with the wing itself ? I am looking into buying a backplate wing set.

 

[AbyssTek]

Well, at the club we bought around 10 Peanut wings, and with 7 out of those 10 wings, we had rust issues. The Spanish representative completely ignored our warranty claims, and we had to rely on friends to get in touch with the manufacturer directly in Poland.

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

As you are starting out in tec diving be prepared to end up with multiple regulators for singles, doubles, stages, etc.

With this in mind you should consider:

1. First stages with a good hose layout for doubles (i.e. a 5th LP port on the bottom of the 1st stage)
2. Easy to service (preferably by yourself) with cheap, easy to acquire service kits. The cost adds up when you have many regs requiring service at an official center every few years.
3. A reasonable price: you will be buying several as you progress, and regulators are not a complex 'technology' and should not be priced as such.

Apeks DST have a 5th LP port and is a great reg, but like all things Apeks is overpriced. HOG/Deep6/Dive Rite/DGX (and Tecline?) all have made clones of Apeks, at a better price, and are happy, to various degrees, to sell service kits and in some cases service courses.

I am close to replacing my assorted 1st stages (6 different models of 1st stage, and 8 different models of second stage, from 4 different companies..) with DGX regs simply to have the convenience of self service and uniformity/swapping parts between regs.

Cheers,
Rohan

 

[Wibble]

Second hand.

Decent regulators do periodically come up in the usual places; ebay, FB marketplace, dive clubs, forums. You're looking for lightly used regs and preferably with a service within the last year or so.

Half the full price should be the maximum you pay unless they're obviously 'new' in which case 2/3rds.

Also there's a lot of fashion nonsense about regs. There's no need for the fancy new ones when the old designs work just as well. All regs have to be type certified such as the CE marking which means they all pass the same rigorous tests. It's the marketing BS that adds cost -- titanium... just no.

If you're heading down the tech route then you'll end up with many reg sets. It helps to have one manufacturer to make swapping bits around and servicing.

Quality, known brands are best.

 

[Piotr_F]

Well, at the club we bought around 10 Peanut wings, and with 7 out of those 10 wings, we had rust issues. The Spanish representative completely ignored our warranty claims, and we had to rely on friends to get in touch with the manufacturer directly in Poland.

What metal were those backplate ? Stainless steel ? Steel ? Aluminium ? Did you get satisfying answers from the manufacturer ?

 

[AbyssTek]

What metal were those backplate ? Stainless steel ? Steel ? Aluminium ? Did you get satisfying answers from the manufacturer ?

"stainless" steel... The Spanish distributor accused us of poor maintenance, and through the mediation of a friendly center in Poland, we managed to contact one of the managers. He finally exchanged them for other units, albeit reluctantly. Some of the units he replaced and sent us as new have ended up having the same issue... completely disappointed with the brand, both in terms of material quality and after-sales service.

 

[Piotr_F]

"stainless" steel... The Spanish distributor accused us of poor maintenance, and through the mediation of a friendly center in Poland, we managed to contact one of the managers. He finally exchanged them for other units, albeit reluctantly. Some of the units he replaced and sent us as new have ended up having the same issue... completely disappointed with the brand, both in terms of material quality and after-sales service.

That's good to know thanks for the feedback !

 

[Sebs]

Fwiw I've used a tecline 15L Donut and alu backplate for over 150 dives now and the thing is like new. I'm about to replace the webbing with halcyon because the tecline one was a bit too soft.